Hawaii law requires employers to offer standardized health plans with low co-pays, no deductibles and few out-of-pocket costs. Cliff Cisco, a senior vice president at the Hawaii Medical Service Association, said that having a standardized and popular benefit has helped keep administrative costs to just 7 percent of revenue, among the lowest in the nation.If Hawaii can do this why not the nation?
However, just as our resolutions have grown stronger by gathering more supporters, we are resolved to work until all Americans have affordable, quality health care. In 2010, 45,000 of us will die because we didn't have insurance that would pay for a cholesterol screening or a mammogram. We are resolved to see this is the last year we watch as 45,000 of us die.The writing makes me proud to both a Progressive Democrat and a member of the Progressive Democrats of Sussex County. Wonderful stuff, Joanne. Keep up the good work.
As leaders in state legislatures across the country, we urgently call on President Obama and the U.S. Congress to take up and pass comprehensive health care reform in 2009.
Key priorities for reform are reflected in recent state initiatives and public opinion polls which show that Americans want more choices and options for quality health care. Americans recognize that the private sector alone has proven incapable of creating a high-quality, fair, and accountable health care system that works for all families. Therefore, a key priority for reform is the choice of a public health insurance plan that is available to businesses, individuals, and families. Another key priority is strengthening and expanding the Medicaid program with the help of enhanced federal support so that it can serve all low-income Americans. Related priorities include: guaranteeing affordability for individuals and businesses; preserving consumer choice of doctors; eliminating racial, ethnic, gender, and rural health disparities; ensuring shared responsibility among employers, individuals and government in financing health care; and, cost containment strategies that eliminate waste and inefficiency and improve quality, especially for people with chronic illnesses.From Delaware only Representative Brad Bennett is a signer. Where are the rest of our elected officials when we are in such dire need?
revealed that all of them are contaminating groundwater with toxic metals and other pollutants — in some cases at levels exceeding 380 times state groundwater standards.Does anyone care about Indian River and its coal ash storage? Will DENREC ever get around to sampling the river and surrounding ground water to check?
Health Care ReformGo, John. Keep up the good work. Some of us are at your back pushing hard.
I think it’s important to make a few things crystal clear in defining the Health Care reform debate.
I’ve been actively engaged in the discussion at the state level and the federal level for more than 4years now. I testified on behalf of HB 62, (a State Single Payer bill), authored by Dr. Floyd McDowell and sponsored by State Rep. Dennis P. Williams. It was presented before a Banking/Insurance Committee chaired by former Rep. Donna Stone and had about 60 people in attendance although the numbers dwindled as the committee continued with an agenda of innocuous items until approximately 6PM. At that time most committee members had left. There was not a quorum present for further action and that seemed to be the point of the delay. However as the testifier on behalf of A Philip Randolph Institute and joined by those steadfast supporters of “true” Health Care Insurance Reform it was apparent that this was a significant moment since this type of legislation had never before, nor since, been given a public vetting before a Delaware legislative committee. As a civilian activist this moment gave me a distinct perspective of how public enthusiasm can be dampened and disregarded and may have been the deciding moment of commitment to politics for me. With Rep J.J. Johnson I have sponsored a resolution in support of the Federal legislation known as HR 676, a Medicare like single payer program to insure all Americans from cradle to grave. This resolution did not get out of committee either.
The point I’m trying to make now is that we must not succumb to the false and misleading positions that are the munitions of the pharmaceutical and insurance industry waging a life or death struggle for their overpaid executives, over-compensated shareholders and politically connected supporters.
The “public option” is not “single-payer” but it may be a way-station on the track to single-payer. This is a politically palatable risk that probably should be taken.
But make no mistake about it, “Non-Profit Health Insurance Cooperatives” are nowhere near the tracks and are devoid of wheels even if they are forced onto the tracks. They would impede all traffic.
Consider that the Blue Crosses and Blue Shields are “non-profit” entities that exist as cooperatives, (consumers being the members of the co-op, contributing the co-op fee in the form of skyrocketing premiums). These fee amounts are not reflective of the needs of expenditures benefitting the co-op members nor are they regulated or controlled in any way to protect the investments being demanded of these members.
You see we already have “non-profit co-ops” in our Health Care delivery system and they are bankrupting Americans and their families. They are bankrupting American businesses and putting those businesses at such a global disadvantage that revitalization and stabilization of the United States economy is rapidly approaching the undoable stage.
The worst possible scenario is that false messaging and irresponsible alternatives cause a stagnation of real discourse and debate and we are left with the status-quo of guaranteed failure.
1. Climate Change is Not a Matter of BeliefClimate change is a matter of science. All the current evidence points to real changes in our world climate. Congress and the public in general must not be allowed to ignore the facts in order to live their personal beliefs.
2. There Is No Such Thing as Business as UsualBusiness as usual to protect coal and other industries got us into much of this mess. We must not continue the current course. Compromises must be made to insure real change in the way we do business these days or there will be no business left to do.
3. We Are Not An IslandThe U.S. is part of a world economy and global climate. We must accept responsibility for all our actions and move to insure the entire world changes. We may lead this process only if we begin to act with purpose and move to benefit the entire world.
Public Option Essential to Health Reform
Senate Finance Committee Fails to Protect Consumer Choice and Control Costs
WASHINGTON - September 30 - Today League of Women Voters national President Mary G. Wilson expressed disappointment with the Senate Finance Committee votes defeating amendments to include a public option in health care reform legislation in the following statement:
"The public option is the key to consumer choice and to lowering health care costs. Both are essential elements of health care reform. The Finance Committee’s failure will hurt consumers and result in higher costs. How could they be so short-sighted?
“The current health care system is endangering our economy, our health, and our national security. Congress needs to pass comprehensive health care reform and the public option is vital. It is universal coverage that will determine the humanity of our system and a public option will make that possible for Americans who cannot obtain coverage through the traditional employer-sponsored plans. We believe that health care reform legislation must guarantee access to comprehensive and essential benefits to all U.S. residents.
“But the possibility of universal coverage is not the only advantage of the public option. We must control costs and the public option is the best chance to bring costs into line with reality. As a nation, we are spending $1 out of every $6 we earn on health care. Offering everyone the choice of a government administered health insurance plan like Medicare that would compete with private health insurance plans is key to lowering costs and providing real choice to consumers.
"The public option is critical to health care reform. Congress and the President need to demonstrate real leadership and move forward, not backward, with true health care reform."
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The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, has fought since 1920 to improve our systems of government and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy. The League's enduring vitality and resonance comes from its unique decentralized structure. The League is a grassroots organization, working at the national, state and local levels.
In August alone, six children were hurt in cluster bomb explosions in Lebanon.How many more must die before we as a civilized world put an end to these weapons?
Sen. Carper:
Real Health Care NOW
Join us
Thursday, October 1 at 4:00 PM
The Circle, Georgetown, DE
To tell Senator Carper
Health Care reform must include:
· A Strong public option!
· Big Corporations pay their fair share!
· No taxes on our health care benefits!
We will deliver thousands of letters from Delaware residents to Senator Carper’s office on the Circle.
Press conference begins at 4:00 pm.
Questions or RSVP:
Call Courtney @ 916-494-3325
Or Morgan @ 773-515-4093
• Every 12 minutes an American dies because they lack health insurance (45,000 annually). This is more than the number of deaths due to drunk driving or homicide.How much more does anyone need to know? Call your Congress critters today. Write that letter-to-the-editor. Tell all your friends and neighbors. We must not let the opportunity for real reform pass by.
• The average health insurance plan for family coverage currently costs $13,375. Over the past decade, premiums have increased by 138 percent. If the current trend continues, by 2019 the average family plan will cost $30,083.
• 46.3 million Americans are uninsured. When they can’t pay, the costs for their care shift to the insured. On average, insured Americans are forced to spend an additional $1,100 in premiums due to this cost-shifting.
• Between 2000 and 2008, the percentage of employers offering health insurance coverage to their employees declined from 69 to 63; for firms employing less than 10 workers, the decline was even greater – from 57 to 49 percent.
• From 2000 to 2008, the percentage of employees with an annual deductible greater than $1000 increased from 1 percent to 18 percent. Among small businesses, more than one in three workers must spend at least $1000 out of pocket before their health benefits kick in.
• A recent study found that 62 percent of all 2007 bankruptcies were linked to medical expenses. Of those filing for bankruptcy, nearly 80 percent had health insurance.
• The cost of healthcare now causes a bankruptcy in America every 30 seconds.
"just doesn’t seem fair" that Democrats would renege on the initial bargain with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA.
“Whether you like PhRMA or not,” Carper said, “we have a deal.”
In July and August, the number of Afghan civilians killed by coalition forces was 19, compared with 151 for the same two months last year. Over the same period, U.S. troop deaths in the war more than doubled -- 96 this year, compared with 42 last year.Many see this change as reason to worry the new procedures may be giving the Taliban increased opportunity. Members of Congress, family members of troops, and others across the nation are seeing the increased risk and expressing concern.
On behalf of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), I am writing to thank you for your leadership in the health reform debate, acknowledge the important contribution that you are making to advance the national reform discussion, and outline our views on your Chairman’s Mark for the “America’s Healthy Future Act.” We thank you for your efforts to lead an unprecedented and rigorous bipartisan process. We view the introduction of your proposal as an important milestone in this debate and stand ready to lend our technical expertise to help create proposals that are workable and sustainable over time.Ignani is one of the lotter winning CEO's with a 7-figure salary who could care less about real insurance reform. She supports measures that force people to buy insurance from hers and other companies. She expresses opposition to any measure of taxation that increases the already exhorbitant cost of policies.
The most dramatic evidence of the rural meltdown has been the hollowing out—that is, losing the most talented young people at precisely the same time that changes in farming and industry have transformed the landscape for those who stay. This so-called rural "brain drain" isn't a new phenomenon, but by the 21st century the shortage of young people has reached a tipping point, and its consequences are more severe now than ever before. Simply put, many small towns are mere years away from extinction, while others limp along in a weakened and disabled state.
...hollowing out results from a combination of macro forces reshaping nonmetropolitan America: the unfettered rise of agribusiness and big-box retailing that has suffocated local ownership, the decline of unions and blue-collar wages, employers' increased reliance on exploited undocumented workers, and the systemic underinvestment in younger workers entering the new economy's labor force without college degrees. The rise of agribusiness has meant that there are hardly any farmers left in America's agricultural regions: Just 2 percent of Americans operate farms now, and 42 percent of Midwestern farmers earn less than $20,000 per year. Independent family farmers today live more like sharecroppers, and, as the new film Food, Inc. so powerfully shows, the "Jeffersonian ideal of pastoral life" has been subsumed by a farming system dominated by mega-farms and hog hotels.What can be done to prevent or to correct this? Education and changes in the way we educate our children today is part of the proposed solution.
The single-minded focus on pushing the most motivated students into four-year colleges must be balanced by efforts to match young people not headed for bachelor's degrees with training, vocational, and assorted associate-degree programs.Another step involves matching university and community college training centers with local businesses to provide internship opportunities for those students not bound for a four year post-high school education.
To that end, national immigration policy should also be reformed away from the costly and often counterproductive interdiction efforts toward ones that offer longtime undocumented workers a pathway to citizenship and encourage a more complete participation of immigrants in their home communities.
The residents of rural America must embrace the fact that to survive, the world they knew and cherished must change. And, on a national level, rural development must be more closely linked to national economic growth priorities, and policies must be created to help these communities prepare for a future that is already here.We are late in the game, but the final score is yet to be seen. Delaware as well as the rest of the nation must begin to face the problem and to develop solutions which work for our state if we are to lead any part of the future.
1) Kill the "free rider" provision. Kill it now. The employer mandate in the HELP bill raises more money and hurts fewer people. If that's too onerous, then you can lower the penalties. But whatever you do, do not let this provision survive. It's one thing to see a policy spin off the rails because of unintended consequences. It's a whole other thing to build in a time bomb that will inflict completely foreseeable damage.The remainder of Klein's posts offer a worthy read and there is real reason to believe he is not yet finished.
2) Increase the subsidies, and in particular, put more money toward out-of-pocket caps. The bill does a lot for the truly poor, and quite a bit for the nearly poor, but it doesn't do enough to protect working families from the costs of illness. This costs money, of course. But that's money you can get from implementing fail-safe policies like those advocated by David Cutler and Judy Feder. And it's money that will prevent a massive backlash when struggling, sympathetic families are told they have to buy insurance they can't really afford to use.
3) Phase in Ron Wyden's Free Choice amendment. This has three effects. The first is that it makes the bill better for the currently insured, as it gives them a clear benefit: the freedom to change their health-care coverage if they don't like it. Second, the Lewin Group estimates that it raises more than $300 billion over 10 years, as workers choose more affordable plans and the government loses less tax revenue through the employer tax deduction. Third, it makes the system better by building out the alternative to the employer-based system. What's not to love?
Speaking of the Health Insurance Exchanges, the Baucus plan deserves plaudits for opening the exchanges to businesses of all sizes. But it takes too long to do so. Rather than starting the five-year process in 2017, either shorten the process to three years or start the process in 2015.
4) Create real competition in the insurance industry. Baucus's plan doesn't include a public option, doesn't include a public option trigger, and even neuters the co-op option. I'm among the few who think there's a real possibility that the new regulations will lead to a much more efficient and humane private insurance industry, but it is, after all, only a possibility. It's much likelier to happen, however, if they're protecting themselves against real competition in the market. And if it doesn't happen even in that scenario, then at last people will actually have somewhere to go.
5) Create incentives for bipartisanship. This bill was built amid a long, bipartisan promise. Baucus made real concessions to attract votes from his Republican colleagues. He made the bill cheaper, and eliminated the public option, and strengthened the protections against federal funding of abortions and benefits for illegal immigrants, and built in hard funding mechanisms that actually improve the deficit. Everything Republicans originally wanted is in this bill. It is, in fact, a moderate Republican bill. It looks like nothing so much as the bill Republican Senator John Chafee Sr. proposed in 1994.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.We would do well to remember those summary principles each and every day these days as our nation sets a course for the future.
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